by Cheree Alsop
“It was a rough night,” Alex said. He slipped his feet into his shoes, then bent gingerly to tie them.
“Go back to sleep, Alex.”
Alex glanced over to see Torin staring at his back. His shoulder must have looked as painful as it felt.
“I have toilet duty.”
“Forget it,” the Alpha said gruffly. He left the room and closed the door behind him. Alex heard Torin muttering as he walked back up the hallway to his own room.
Alex’s eyes drifted shut the second his head hit the wet pillow.
***
School was well under way by the time Alex opened his eyes again. He basked for a moment in the silence that filled Pack Torin’s quarters before forcing himself to rise. Sleep and the moonlight had done wonders for his body. His shoulder barely ached. He carried a change of clothes to the shower room and checked his back in the mirror. Besides a few dark bruises around the edges of the thick scar that would lessen with time, there was no other sign of the battle with the hounds.
Alex showered quickly and pulled open the panel in the common room. He jogged through the tunnels into the depths of the Academy. One last door slid open to reveal the Wolf Den.
“Sounds like you had an adventurous night,” Brock said dryly, spinning in his chair at the command center to look down at Alex.
“It was unexpected,” Alex replied.
Brock chuckled. “I’ll bet. Sounds like I have you to thank for saving my friends.”
Alex smiled. “You forget that the professors are my friends, too.”
“I didn’t forget,” Brock said. He took a big bite of the hotdog he was holding and said around the mouthful, “I just wanted to remind you that they were my friends first.”
Alex climbed the steps to the huge monitoring station and took a seat beside Brock. A glance at the screens showed maps, camera views, and heat sensor images. “Watching anything in particular?”
Brock sat back to study the monitors as well. “We’ve tracked the hounds back to a house at the edge of Haroldsburg. Chet and Dray are searching for clues as to how they got there.”
“If we can track them back to the General...” Alex began.
“We can send him a thank you for such a wonderful gift,” Brock concluded dryly. He took the last bite of his hotdog and licked his ketchup-covered fingers.
“And they say we’re the animals,” Alex said, rolling his eyes.
“What?” Brock replied. “Who wants to waste perfectly good ketchup?”
“Not you, apparently,” Alex muttered good-naturedly as he studied the screens. Something caught his attention. “Hey, what’s that?”
Brock followed his gaze and sat up straight. He hit a few buttons on the keyboard and zoomed in on the image. An icy surge of fear rushed through Alex.
“Chet, get to the roof.”
They watched the Alpha climb up the side of the house as if it was nothing. The professor’s footsteps slowed when he reached the area Alex had indicated.
“What is this?” Chet asked tightly.
He picked up the objects strung on a rope. Alex’s stomach rolled. Chet was without a doubt holding up a string of fingers.
“Did those hounds you fought the other day by any chance happen to be missing fingers?” Brock asked hopefully.
Alex shook his head. “Not that I noticed.”
They both knew that meant there were other werewolves under the General’s control.
Alex gripped the edge of the desk so hard the wood began to splinter.
“Uh, do you mind?” Brock asked.
Alex sat back. “He knew we’d follow the hounds. Why else would he bait the roof?”
“Any sign of explosives?” Brock asked.
“Nothing,” Dray told them from inside the house. “The place is empty, though the werewolves have left it filthy.” A second later, he said, “Ew. I stepped in something I don’t want to identify.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Chet said. “This place is giving me the creeps.”
“Scan the fingers for tracking devices,” Brock said.
“Seriously?” Chet replied, though it was obvious his frustration was more at the fact of having to scan other peoples’ removed appendages for microchips than at anything Brock recommended. “Clear, and just plain wrong,” the Alpha replied when he was done.
“Bring them back. I can cross-reference their DNA with the werewolves we have on file. It might give us a lead,” Brock told them.
“Aye-aye, Captain,” Chet said dryly.
Brock sat back in his seat. “I’m underappreciated.”
“I heard that,” Chet said.
“I know,” Brock told the werewolf. He then clicked off the microphone. “I didn’t mean for him to hear that.”
“Why fingers?” Alex mused, trying to keep away the nausea that attempted to rise up his throat at the thought.
“Because the General is a messed up psychopath with a twisted sense of humor,” Brock replied.
Alex shook his head. “As much as I’ve tried to tell myself the same thing, every time I’m up against him, I realize it’s the exact opposite. He’s shrewd, calculating, and vindictive. Everything he does has a purpose.”
Brock studied the monitors in a fresh light. “If he wants to give us a clue, why fingers. Couldn’t he just be goading us? And if he’s trying to find Drogan, why send the hounds to the cabin instead of the Academy. He would have had a bigger impact.”
“Maybe he thought Drogan was at the cabin.” Alex didn’t believe the words as soon as he said them. The General knew the GPA had Drogan. His whole plan in kidnapping Kalia had been to flush out Drogan’s position. The fact that Alex had given him the soccer field as a false location had no doubt stung, especially with the amount of Extremists they were able to take down.
“Was the Academy safe while the cabin was under attack?” Alex asked.
Brock rolled his eyes. “Of course it was. I was here the whole time keeping a close watch on things. What are you implying?”
“Nothing,” Alex replied quickly. “I just can’t understand why he would try to take out Colleen and Rafe.”
“Or the wolves.” Brock sat up straight. “What if he needed the wolves out of the picture?”
“You have the forest under surveillance. You don’t need the wolves.”
Brock ran a hand through his spikey brown hair. “Alright then, what if he’s checking our response time?”
“We have flying colors there.” Alex rubbed his eyes in an attempt to clear his mind. “What if he had a bunch of hounds he didn’t know what to do with, so he sent them to the forest to wreak havoc?”
“What if he wanted to see you morph into your crazy beast form?”
“I don’t think he knows about that,” Alex said even as ice ran through his veins.
“I saw the remains of that Alpha hound that attacked you and Kalia at the mall.” Brock’s eyes met his. “Trust me. He knows. No one could do that, not even a werewolf.”
“So you think he was watching?”
Brock lifted one skinny shoulder in a half shrug. “It makes sense to me. You want to figure out which werewolf can take down an Alpha hound, you send a pack of them after people he cares about and verify it with your own eyes.”
Alex looked at the monitors without seeing them. “Why would he want to know?”
“I’m not sure,” Brock replied. “I’ll talk to Jaze about it. Maybe he’ll have some ideas.”
Alex went back up to Pack Torin’s quarters feeling more worried than he had before talking to Brock. If the General was after him because he could morph into the beast, the entire Academy might be in danger. He didn’t put it past the General to send even more hounds through the front gates if it would get him what he was after. In fact, the General might do it anyway just for the sheer enjoyment of watching werewolves die.
“You okay?”
Alex looked up from the couch in surprise. He had been so deep in thought he hadn’t even hear
d Torin enter. He stood. “I’m fine.”
Torin’s gaze narrowed. “I don’t believe you.”
Alex gave a humorless smile. “Does it really matter?”
Torin rolled his eyes. “Look, Alex. I may hate you for standing in my way of dating Kalia, but I’m also an Alpha. It’s my job to know when a member of my pack is in danger.”
Surprised at his genuine concern, Alex leaned against the couch. “I’ve been in danger since the Academy opened. It’s nothing new.”
“If you mean from me...”
Alex held up his hand with a chuckle. “No, not from you.” The Alpha glared as though Alex was making fun of him. Alex decided to go with honesty. “Drogan killed my parents, and ever since we reached the Academy, he’s been after me and Cassie. Now that Drogan’s with the GPA, his dad, the General, is hot on my trail because he thinks I know where to find his son.”
Torin looked as though he was trying to believe everything Alex told him, but was finding it hard to swallow. “Do you?”
“Know where to find his son?” Alex shook his head. “Which is probably a good thing, because when he took Kalia last year, he asked me for the location and I would have given it to him if I’d known.”
“You were gone saving her life.” Torin spoke the words slowly, his gaze searching inward as though things clicked together for him. The Alpha leaned heavily against the mantle, his jaw clenching and unclenching. “You saved Kalia’s life.” He met Alex’s gaze. “No wonder she won’t stop pining for you.”
“It’s not like that,” Alex protested. “She’s a friend...”
“To you, maybe. But I’ve seen the way she looks at you.” Torin’s words were tight as though the statement was hard to admit. “How do I compete against someone who saved her life?”
“That wasn’t the first time,” Alex said quietly.
Torin glared at him. “You’re not helping yourself not get pounded into the floor.”
It took Alex a minute to understand what the Alpha had said. He shook his head. “I think I’d better get some more sleep. This conversation is too confusing right now.”
He walked past Torin toward the hallway.
“Is that what happened last night?”
Alex paused at the corner. “The General sent a pack of his hounds, uh, brainwashed werewolves, after Colleen and Rafe. I went to help out.”
Torin shook his head. “Here I thought you were just another extremely annoying student.”
Alex gave a tired smile. “I’m not sure if proving you wrong was a good idea. Apparently I talk too much when I’m exhausted.”
Torin just waved him away. “Go to sleep, Alex. I won’t tell anyone what you told me.”
Alex reached his door and stepped into the room before the Alpha’s voice stopped him.
“You’ve got toilet duty tomorrow.”
“Looking forward to it,” Alex replied dryly. He climbed onto his bed and fell asleep without bothering to change out of his clothes.
Chapter Fifteen
“Hungry?”
Alex sat up in surprise at the sound of Siale’s voice. She smiled at him. “Torin let me in. He said you could probably use some food right now.”
“Torin said that?” Alex asked. The thought amazed him. “And he let you into our quarters?”
“Is that against the rules?” Siale looked suddenly worried. “Do I need to go?”
Alex caught her hand before she could turn away. He sat up and took the plate she held in her other hand.
“Please have a seat,” he offered.
He moved off the bed and sat on the floor with his back against the wall. Perching the plate on his knees, he took a bite of the fried chicken. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he swallowed. He scooped up a spoonful of mashed potatoes and put it in his mouth.
“This tastes amazing,” he said, remembering to swallow before he spoke with his mouth full.
She smiled. “Healing makes you hungry.” Her eyebrows pulled together. “How’s your back?”
Alex rolled his shoulders. “Feels fine. It’s good to be a werewolf.”
Her smile deepened. “Yes, it is.”
She studied him as he ate. He could feel her gaze traveling from his face to his hands. He slowed his movements and glanced up at her. She looked so beautiful sitting on the edge of his bed, her wavy brown hair hanging down in front of her shoulders, and her soft gray eyes filled with curiosity.
“What is it?”
She shook her head. “I probably shouldn’t ask.”
Alex set his plate on the carpet and knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his. She watched him with a mixture of humor and concern.
It felt so important to him that she understood. “Siale, you can ask me anything and I will tell you. I promise.”
She watched him for a minute as though debating what to say. Her eyes left him and looked at the carpet. “I’ve never seen anyone fight like you do.”
Alex caught her chin gently with his fingers and tipped her face up so she would meet his eyes. “How do I fight?” he asked quietly.
“Like you have nothing to lose,” she whispered.
The pain in the depths of her gray eyes made Alex’s heart skip a beat. He took a breath, trying to steady it. “I fight that way because I have everything to lose,” he told her. “When the General attacks, my thoughts are filled with you, Cassie, Mom, Jaze, Kalia, and the others here at the Academy. I know that if I don’t give everything, someone I love could get hurt or worse.”
“But you get hurt and that doesn’t bother you.”
“Because I’ve been through worse,” Alex said honestly. “Physical pain doesn’t hurt as badly as watching my parents die or holding you in that body pit. Physical pain doesn’t make me feel like I’m going crazy because no sane person should go through those things.”
“Is that why you turned into what you did back there?” Siale asked softly.
Alex was quiet for a minute, then he nodded. “I think so. I think if I can stop the horrible stuff from happening, I can figure it out in my mind. When I’m not strong enough, the beast comes out and I can save my loved ones.”
Siale set her hand on his cheek. He covered it with his own.
“What about Kalia?”
Cold rushed through Alex’s body. “What about her?” He searched Siale’s gaze. There was no jealousy there, only curiosity and a touch of sadness.
“I can tell she cares a lot about you, and you said her name when you were listing the people you protect here.”
Alex kept ahold of her hand. He knew he could be treading deep water broaching the subject, but Siale had asked, and he had promised to always tell her the truth.
He let out a small breath. “I used to really care about Kalia. I thought she was the one, and it confused me because I didn’t feel quite the way they described it. She came here as a werewolf who couldn’t phase, and for a long time I was her only friend.”
“And now?” Siale asked when he grew silent.
Alex studied the checkered blanket on his bed. “Now, I don’t feel that way at all. I think of her as a friend, but she still feels like I’m her one. She’s convinced that if she can just keep reminding me how she feels, maybe I’ll go back to the way I was before.”
“Is there a possibility of that happening?” A slight hint of apprehension touched Siale’s voice.
Alex met her gaze, his own serious. “There’s no way. You own my heart, Siale. It’s been yours since I found you in that pit. I knew from the moment I heard you speak that we were supposed to be together.” A hint of a smile touched his lips. “That might be forward, but it’s the truth, every bit of it. You are my one. Kalia will always be my friend, but just that.”
Siale looked at him for a long moment, the depths of her eyes unreadable. She finally gave him a small, warm smile. “Thank you for telling me,” she said. She kissed him softly on the forehead.
He closed his eyes at the feeling of her lips on his sk
in. Warmth rushed from her touch. He couldn’t help but smile as he sat back.
“I could get used to that,” he said.
The warmth in her eyes as he picked up the plate again to finish his meal was better than any full stomach.
She took his plate with her when she left. Alex was about to return to his room when the door to Pack Torin’s quarters flew open.
“I’ve got it!
The excitement on Torin’s face filled Alex with trepidation.
“Got what?” he asked warily.
“I’ve figured out how to make Kalia fall in love with me!”
“Okay,” Alex replied, wondering why the Alpha was telling him. “How?”
“You are going to help me.”
Alex shook his head quickly. “I’ve already messed up enough things with Kalia. I don’t want to be involved.”
Before he could move, Torin grabbed the front of his shirt and pinned him against the wall. “You’re going to help me.”
“You know there are better ways of getting results than bullying someone,” Alex protested, the collar of his shirt tight around his throat.
“Jaze takes you on some of his rescue missions, right?”
What Alex didn’t respond, Torin shook him like a terrier with a rat. “Right?” the Alpha shouted.
Alex wanted to attack Torin. He wanted to end the bullying right then and there, starting with a fist to the Alpha’s thick jaw. His hands clenched.
A hint of desperation came into Torin’s angry green eyes. He lowered Alex just a bit. “Look, Alex. I don’t know of any other way. I can’t think of life without her. She barely even looks at me, and when she does, it’s like she’s looking at scum from the bottom of Cook Jerald’s sink. I can’t take it anymore.”
Seeing the Alpha’s walls lower broke something inside of Alex. He wasn’t Kalia’s mate. The way he felt was all too certain. If he had somehow stood in the way of Kalia seeing Torin for his true self, maybe he could do something to help.
“Okay,” Alex gave in. “What do you want me to do?”
